About Us

OFFERING YOU MENTAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES

We are a group of psychologists and mental health practitioners who have professional training and clinical skills to help people learn to cope more effectively with life issues and mental health problems. After years of graduate school and supervised training, members of SYPS have become licensed to provide a number of services, including evaluations and psychotherapy. Psychologists and mental health professionals help by using a variety of techniques based on the best available research as well as the individuals unique values, characteristics, goals and circumstances.

WHAT WE DO
SYPS psychologists help a wide variety of people and can treat many kinds of problems. Some people may talk to a psychologist because they have felt depressed, angry or anxious for a long time. Or, they want help for a chronic condition that is interfering with their lives or physical health. Others may have short-term problems they want help navigating, such as feeling overwhelmed by a new job or grieving the death of a family member. Psychologists can help people learn to cope with stressful situations, overcome a traumatic event or history or trauma, recover from addictions, manage chronic illnesses and break past the barriers that keep them from reaching their goals.

At SYPS, members of our team are trained to administer and interpret a number of tests and assessments that can help diagnose a condition or tell more about the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves. These tests may evaluate intellectual skills, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, vocational aptitude and preference, personality characteristics and neuropsychological functioning.

HOW WE CAN HELP
Clinicians at SYPS use an assortment of evidence-based treatments to help people improve their lives. Most commonly, we use therapy (often referred to as psychotherapy or talk therapy). There are many different styles of therapy, but the practitioner you meet with will choose the type that best addresses your problem and best fits your needs, characteristics and preferences.

Some common types of therapy are cognitive, behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, humanistic, psychodynamic or a combination of a few therapy styles. Therapy can be for an individual, couples, family, group, organization or community. Some psychologists are trained to use hypnosis, which research has found to be effective for a wide range of conditions including pain, anxiety and mood disorders.

For some conditions, therapy and medication are a treatment combination that works best. For people who benefit from medication, psychologists work with primary care physicians, pediatricians and psychiatrists on their overall treatment.

HOW PSYCHOLOGISTS ARE TRAINED
A doctoral degree to practise psychology requires at least 4-6 years of full-time study after completing an undergraduate degree. Coursework includes areas such as ethics, statistics, individual differences and the biological, cognitive-affective and social bases of behavior, as well as specific training in psychological assessment and therapy.

While in graduate school, psychology students may also participate in research and teaching. A one-year full-time supervised internship is required prior to graduation and in most states an additional year of supervised practice is required before licensure. Additional examinations are required for licensing as a Clinical Psychologist within each province that the Psychologist is practising.

Once licensed to practise, psychologists must keep up their knowledge, which is demonstrated by earning several hours of continuing education credits annually, as required by their province’s license and regulations.